“We’ve observed a shift of approximately 0.6 degrees Celsius (1.0
Fahrenheit) between the first and the second half of the 20th century.
But if you only include months classified as dry, you see that there’s
almost double the shift in temperature,” said lead author Felicia
Chiang, a graduate student researcher in civil and environmental
engineering at UC Irvine.

Combining observations from the early and late 20th century with
model results from the late 20th and late 21st century, the team
expanded its research to incorporate the entire U.S.

Both observational data and climate models showed the same pattern in
the southern U.S.: greater temperature shifts under dry conditions than
under average climate change conditions, whether in arid Arizona or
rainy Louisiana (both are included in what the study considers “southern
states”).

“We believe that they’re likely shaped by concurrent changes in the moisture in the atmosphere,” Chiang said.

The combination of stressors will likely comprise the environmental
and social impacts of drought and heatwaves, driving more frequent
wildfires, worsening air quality and stressing crops and livestock.

The findings also underline the potential impacts of land-use changes, and their effects on local moisture availability.

The authors recommend that societies and their institutions study
these effects and work to improve the resiliency of affected systems.

More by Nicholas Gerbis

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